Natural Kaurane-class of Diterpenoid Alkaloids: Structure, Distribution, and Bioactivities

Kaurane-class diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs), an important group of C₂₀-DAs, include mainly veatchine-, napelline-, anopterine- and tricalysiamide-type DAs and several types of DAs with novel skeletons discovered in recent years. To date, approximately 81 compounds belonging to this class of DAs have been isolated from plants in five families and seven genera. Among them, Aconitum is the most important source of this class of DAs. Kaurane-class DAs exhibit noteworthy biological activities, including antitumor, antiarrhythmic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. In particular, anopterine-type DAs have shown significant antitumor activity in vitro, and napelline-type DAs have powerful antiarrhythmic effects and great potential in the development of such drugs. In general, the diverse structures and biological activities of Kaurane-class DAs highlight the great potential of these types of compounds for drug discovery, especially antitumor and antiarrhythmic drugs, and is a topic worthy of further in-depth study.